The forest lay silent,

only a gentle wind blew,

the branches of the trees were bare,

the leaves of the past summer lined the path.

It had become cold,

the ground was frozen hard,

gloomy was the day,

a thin layer of ice covered the forest lake.

Two early swans swam on the lake,

breaking through the ice,

looking for food,

keeping each other company.

A lone ray of sunlight broke through the clouds,

but it soon disappeared,

the light clouded again,

snowflakes began to fall.

A lonely clearing

lay deserted,

no deer far and wide,

no bird sang.

Everything was like dead

but death had not won,

because life was only asleep,

gathering its strength for the spring.

The forest lay silent,

only a gentle wind blew,

winter embraced the land,

and everything was peaceful.